West Darfur families displaced by El Geneina violence want to go home

05/05/2021 16:31 EL GENEINA

Thousands of people who fled their homes during mass attacks on El Geneina, capital of West Darfur, in early April, want to return to their homes, as the conditions in the shelters are dire. The acting governor of West Darfur, Mohamed Zakaria, told reporters in the town that the displaced demanded to return to their homes, and explained that a West Darfur government team has inspected the affected areas in the attacked neighbourhoods.

The El Geneina Victims Committee during a press conference (Social media)

Thousands of people who fled their homes during mass attacks on El Geneina, capital of West Darfur, in early April, want to return to their homes, as the conditions in the shelters are dire. The acting governor of West Darfur, Mohamed Zakaria, told reporters in the town that the displaced demanded to return to their homes, and explained that a West Darfur government team has inspected the affected areas in the attacked neighbourhoods.

Security posts within the neighbourhoods were inspected as well as electricity and water services. He noted that the electricity poles were damaged during the events and the water network does not work and he promised to treat the electricity within three days, and he also promised to provide water collectively.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) will provide shelter materials in the neighbourhoods and not in the shelter centres, he added.

Native administrations leaders in West Darfur announced they together agreed “to defuse conflicts and work to repair what was destroyed by the attacks, by conducting reconciliations, healing wounds and opening a new page for peaceful coexistence between the various communities”.

Brig Gen Idris Hasan, Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accused the El Geneina sector yesterday of what he called “infiltrators of the movements that were not signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement” for being behind the events in the town.

The Commander of the 15th Infantry Division in West Darfur, Maj Gen El Nur Bashir asserts that the Armed Forces, Police, General Intelligence Service, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “are working in full coordination for maintaining security and stability in the state, especially at El Geneina”.

Speaking to a visiting media delegation in El Geneina yesterday, he said that the joint force has worked together in full coordination to control the incidents of insecurity that happened in the state recently, the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reports.

He affirmed that RSF are regular forces that showed distinguished performance in the state in the various fields, including maintaining security and stability, protecting the agricultural season, and providing services to the citizens.